CPC Evaluation & Management Practice Questions
Evaluation & Management makes up 3 of every 50 questions on a Tigertest CPC practice test. Here are 10 of the 12 questions on it, each with the answer and the reason.
Updated by the Tigertest team. Based on AAPC's published CPC exam areas, the ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines, CMS rules and CPT conventions. Original questions; no code-book lookups.
1. Under the 2021 office E/M rules, the level is selected by:
- A.Face-to-face time only
- B.MDM or total time
- C.History and exam
- D.History, exam and MDM
Answer: B. Office E/M levels are chosen by medical decision making or total time on the date of the encounter. History and exam are documented as appropriate.
2. A new patient has not received professional services from the physician or same-specialty group within the past:
- A.2 years
- B.5 years
- C.1 year
- D.3 years
Answer: D. CPT's three-year rule: an established patient was seen by the physician or another of the same specialty and subspecialty in the same group within three years.
3. To reach an MDM level, how many of its three elements must be met?
- A.Two of three
- B.Only risk
- C.All three
- D.One of three
Answer: A. MDM has problems, data and risk. Two of the three must meet or exceed the level.
4. Total time for an office E/M includes:
- A.Time across the whole care episode
- B.Clinical staff time too
- C.Time on the visit date only
- D.Face-to-face time only
Answer: C. Total time counts the physician's or QHP's face-to-face and non-face-to-face time on the date of the encounter. Clinical staff time is excluded.
5. Medicare stopped paying CPT consultation codes in:
- A.2021
- B.2005
- C.2010
- D.2015
Answer: C. Since January 2010 Medicare does not recognize consultation codes; other E/M codes are used instead.
6. Emergency department E/M levels are selected by:
- A.MDM only
- B.MDM or total time
- C.History and exam
- D.Total time
Answer: A. ED visits are often unscheduled and simultaneous, so CPT bases ED levels on MDM, not time.
7. In the emergency department E/M codes, new and established patients are:
- A.Split by a 1-year rule
- B.Coded separately
- C.Split by a 3-year rule
- D.Not distinguished
Answer: D. ED codes are used for new and established patients alike.
8. Critical care time of less than 30 minutes is reported with:
- A.No code at all
- B.Another appropriate E/M
- C.The first critical care code
- D.Critical care with modifier 52
Answer: B. CPT critical care starts at 30 minutes. Shorter care is reported with the appropriate E/M code.
9. A problem needing significant extra work during a preventive visit is reported as:
- A.Problem E/M instead
- B.Preventive code plus E/M with 25
- C.Only the preventive code
- D.Preventive code with 22
Answer: B. Report both: the preventive code and a problem-oriented E/M with modifier 25. A minor problem not needing extra work is part of the preventive visit.
10. Preventive medicine E/M codes are selected by:
- A.Total visit time
- B.Problems addressed
- C.MDM level
- D.Age and patient status
Answer: D. Preventive codes are chosen by age band and new or established status.
Practice all 12 evaluation & management questions, and the rest of the 200-question bank, in the free CPC training sets. Questions you miss come back until you have mastered them.
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